Aib filter



Oct. 22, 1935. R R, HALSTEAD Re. 19,732

AIR FILTER Original Filed Nov. 19, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. fil C/ldfd l2, l/alslead ///.S ATTORNEYJ,

Oct. 22, 1935. R. R. HALSTEAD AIR FILTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed Nov. 19, 1931 INVENTOR. fiz'cfiardfZ/Valstead fl/J ATTORNEYJ.

Reissued Oct. 22, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AIR FILTER Original No. 1,948,791, dated February 27, 1934,

Serial No. 576,164, November 19, 1931.

Application for reissue May 23, 1935, Serial No.

2 Claims.

This invention appertains to new and useful improvements in the general art of gas separation, and more particularly to a novel air cleaner for use in conjunction with engines of the inter- .6 nal combustion type.

The principal object of this invention is to pro-- vide a filter through which air is drawn by the suction of an internal combustion engine, to which it is attached in a manner whereby all dust 10 and other foreign matter is removed in an efficient manner.

Another important object of the invention is to provide an air cleaner involving a mobile cleaning unit which in operation not only cleans, by

filtration, the air fed to the engine, but also eliminates the foreign matter collected therein.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel device for assuring that a supply of relatively clean oil or other air filtering 20 liquid will at all times and automatically be supplied from the oil or liquid basin into the well from which the same will be carried into the air filtering or cleaning element by the action of the collectors or scoops.

25 Other important objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to the reader of the following specification.

In the drawings:-

Figure 1 represents a fragmentary side elevational view of an engine showing the air cleaner attached thereto.

Fig. 2 represents a longitudinal sectional view through the air cleaner.

Fig. 3 represents a sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 represents a cross sectional view taken substantially on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 represents a sectional view taken substantially on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 represents a fragmentary detailed sectional view showing the float-controlled valve.

Fig. 7 represents a longitudinal sectional view through the rotor and shaft.

45 Fig. 8 represents a sectional view taken substantially on line 8-8 of Fig. '7.

Referring to the drawings wherein like numerals designate like parts, it can be seen that the preferred form of the invention includes a 5 cylindrical shell having a neck 6 at one end for attachment as at 1 to the usual intake manifold pipe 8, which is associated with the engine 9 as shown in Fig. 1. The bottom portion of this shell 5 depends to form a. basin III which merges 55 at its lowermost point with the well ll forming a settling receiver for sediment in the oil expelled by the rotor generally referred to by numeral l2.

As is clearly shown in Fig. 'i', this rotor consists of a cylinder i3 of mesh material having. an 5 annular rib or bead id secured to each end thereof. Wire spiders i5 sustain the shape of the cylinder l3 in the intermediate portion, while spiders it are provided at the ends of the rotor cylinder i3, each having a hub Ii for receiving 10 the elongated hollow shaft i8 which extends thru the rotor and beyond each end thereof. The rear end of this shalt I8 is plugged as at N, while extending curvedly from the shaft I8 adjacent the plugged end portion are the collectors 2H, each being of tubular construction and open at its outer end, as in the manner substantially shown in Fig. 3.

The interior of each of these collectors communicates with the interior of the shaft i8 20 and obviously as these collectors rotate in the ridcway 2! or liquid well of the shell 5, they collect oil 22 from the bottom thereof.

By referring to Fig. 5, it can be seen that a reservoir 23 is provided on one side of the shell 35 5 and a conduit 26 extends therefrom and into the interior of the basin ill. As is clearly shown in Fig. 6, numeral 25 represents a conical valve having a guide stem 26 which is operable within the open end of the conduit 24 whereby the sup- 30 ply of the reservoir 23 can be controlled. This valve 25 is located on the elongated arm 21 which is pivotally connected to the wall of the basin II] as at 28. The outer end portion of the arm 21 is offset upwardly as at 29 and horizontally as at 33 to carry the float 3i. This float and arm operate in the basin it to maintain a constant level of oil in this basin and to also control the level of oil in the rideway 2|, oil being sup- 0 plied from the basin NJ to the rideway 22 through the conduit 32.

Secured to the inside of the shell 5 at each end of the rotor I2 is a spider 33, each of which is provided on one side with an annular rib or head 34 (see Fig. i) for riding engagement against the corresponding rib or bead M on the rotor l2.

Thus it can be seen that an air space 35 is provided between the rotor i2 and the shell 5 into which foreign matter can be thrown from the m rotor l2.

The forward end of the aforementioned shaft is opened, and engages into the bearing 36 and incidentally lubricates this bearing, due to the fact that some of the oil collected by the collectors u 20 will pass the outlet openings 31 in the shaft l8 adjacent the rear end of the rotor I2 and will travel to this end of the shaft for lubricating this bearing.

The mesh cylinder 12 is to be filled preferably with copper wool as a filtering substance for the air. For effecting rotation of the rotor H, the rear end of the shaft I8 is provided with a gear wheel 38 which meshes with the pinion 39 carried by the screw shaft 40 operating in the housing 4| located upon the shell 5.

It can now be seen, that the suction of the engine to which this air cleaner is attached will be exerted longitudinally on the screw shaft 40 which will result in the rotation of the screw and the consequent rotation of the shaft l8. The rotor I2 being secured to the shaft l8, rotates therewith and in the rotation of the shaft IS, the oil collectors 20 dip up oil which runs into the shaft l8 and out through the openings 31 into the copper wool 42.

Thus, the rear end of the copper wool mass becomes saturated with oil which obviously assists materially in cleaning air as it passes through this portion of the copper wool. As the air passes through the remaining portion of the copper wool, it is cleaned of whatever oil residue remains therein, before the air reaches the forward spider 33, at which point it leaves the rotor l2 to enter the intake manifold pipe 8 by way of the neck 6.

The rotation of the rotor I2 serves continuously to expel the used oil in the rear end of the rotor l2 and incidentally to eliminate whatever foreign matter has been collected by the oil. The oil returns to the basin l9 and any sediment therein, settles to the well I I while this oil is used over again, and automatically, the level in the basin ID is maintained by the aforementioned fioat controlled valve 25.

It will be noted that in the operation of the present air filtering device the relatively lighter and cleaner oil or other air filtering liquid collects at the top of the basin l and is fed, by gravity, through the conduit or tube 32, which is inclined slightly from the horizontal (Fig. 2), into the well 2!, from which it is scooped up by the members 20 and carried into the air filtering or cleaning element 42, thus assuring that a supply oi relatively clean oil or other air filtering liquid is at all times and automatically supplied to the filtering or cleaning element 42.

While the foregoing specification sets forth the invention in specific terms, it is to be understood that numerous changes in the shape, size and materials may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed hereinafter.

Having thus described my invention, what I 10 claim as new is:

1. An air filtering device comprising a casing having an air inlet and an air outlet and including a sump basin; a liquid well arranged at the bottom of said casing; said sump basin and Well being spaced from each other; an air filtering or cleaning element in the said casing between the said inlet and the said outlet; a member rotatably mounted in said casing and having a portion movable into and out of said well for conveying the air filtering or cleaning liquid from said well into said filtering or cleaning element; and a tube or conduit extending from the upper area of said sump basin into said well for conveying the relatively lighter and cleaner air filtering liquid from the upper area of said sump basin into said well.

2. An air filtering device comprising a casing having an air inlet and an air outlet and includ ing a sump basin; a liquid well arranged at the bottom of said casing; said sump basin and well 80 being spaced from each other; an air filtering or cleaning element in the said casing between the said inlet and the said outlet; a member rotatably mounted in said casing and having a portion movable into and out of said well for conveying the air filtering or cleaning liquid from said well into said filtering or cleaning element; and a tube or conduit extending between the upper part of said basin and said well for conveying the relatively lighter and cleaner air filtering liquid from the upper area of said basin into said well; said tube or conduit being inclined slightly from the horizontal so that the relatively cleaner air cleaning or filtering liquid will automatically fiow by 5 gravity from the upper area of said sump basin into said well.

RICHARD R. HALSTEAD. 

